After the death of three persons from Dombivli in the last fortnight — all of them fell off overcrowded suburban trains of the Central Raliway, concerned commuters have urged CR to address the issue of overcrowding.
On April 23, a 25-year-old IIT Patna postgraduate student, Avadhesh Dubey, a resident of Dombivli, died after falling off a train. He had boarded a train at Dombivli and was near the door as the coach was packed. He lost his balance and fell to his death between Diva and Mumbra stations.
On April 29, 26-year-old Riya Rajgor lost her life after falling from an overcrowded local train in Dombivli. Rajgor boarded a CSMT-bound train at Dombivli station around 8 am. As the train passed the Kopar area, she lost her grip on the grab handle and fell onto the tracks, resulting in her immediate death. Rajgor, who worked for a construction firm in Thane, was a resident of Dombivli and is survived by her parents.
The deceased Avadhesh Dubey and Riya Rajgor (Express File Photo)
On April 30, a 49-year-old man, Rahul Purushottam Ashtekar, lost his life after falling off a running train near Mumbra due to overcrowding again. Ashtekar, a resident of Dombivli West, had boarded the train from Dombivli and fell between Diva and Mumbra stations.
Families of the deceased have blamed the failure of the authorities to address overcrowding in suburban trains as the reason for these deaths. “The rail authorities are indifferent to overcrowding and passenger safety even after a 25-year-old lost his life,” Deepak Dubey, Avadhesh’s brother, said.
Rahul Purushottam Ashtekar. (Express File Photo)
Suburban railway passengers have long been demanding expanded train services to address the issues of overcrowding and resulting accidents. Around 45 lakh passengers travel on CR everyday. In Dombivli alone, more than 3.7 million commuters travel from Dombivli to Mumbai everyday, but only 17 trains start from Dombivli.
Swapnil Nila, CPRO of CR, said, “This dual challenge needs cooperation from the railway and passengers as existing infrastructure limitations hinder the increase of train frequency, necessitating the addition of end-to-end tracks. However, the passengers themselves also must exercise caution and stay away from anything that may cost their lives.”
